Gilead HIV Drug as Effective as Merck's in Trial

From CDC National Prevention Information Network

March 25, 2011

Gilead Sciences Inc. this week reported late-stage clinical trial results showing that its experimental once-daily HIV drug elvitegravir proved as effective as Merck & Co.'s twice-daily drug Isentress (raltegravir). In the study, patients were given an antiretroviral regimen plus elvitegravir or Isentress. After 48 weeks, 59 percent of the elvitegravir patients had achieved the targeted viral load levels, versus 57.8 percent of the Isentress group. Discontinuation rates due to adverse events were comparable in both groups. Gilead plans to submit the presentation data later this year at a scientific conference. Elvitegravir is designed to thwart HIV's ability to invade human cells' genetic material.

(Please note: Your name and comment will be public, and may even show up in Internet search results. Be careful when providing personal information! Beforeadding your comment, please read TheBody.com's Comment Policy.)

The Body is a service of Remedy Health Media, LLC, 750 3rd Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017. The Body and its logos are trademarks of Remedy Health Media, LLC, and its subsidiaries, which owns the copyright of The Body's homepage, topic pages, page designs and HTML code. General Disclaimer: The Body is designed for educational purposes only and is not engaged in rendering medical advice or professional services. The information provided through The Body should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, consult your health care provider.